death certificate

noun

: an official document that gives information about a person's death (such as when and how the death happened)

Examples of death certificate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

According to her death certificate, White died from a cerebrovascular accident, which is more commonly known as a stroke. —Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 31 Dec. 2025

Prosecutors are working to get a death certificate for her after her husband’s conviction. —Lauren Del Valle, CNN Money, 18 Dec. 2025

Seven months later, Evangelina Perez got her mother’s death certificate from the state of Texas. —Kaley Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Dec. 2025

Ladd died of hypoxic respiratory failure, according to her death certificate, obtained by People. —Theresa Braine, Mercury News, 1 Dec. 2025

Legal Definition

death certificate

noun

: a document setting forth information (as age, occupation, and place of birth) relating to a dead person and including a doctor's certification of the cause of death

Note: Death certificates are issued by a particular public official, as a city or town clerk. A death certificate is required to document a person's death for certain purposes, as to file an estate tax return or to probate an estate.